How Do Car Antennas Work?
Antenna Basics Radio waves are a type of magnetic energy generated by a transmitter and a transmission antenna. The antenna on your car is built to pick up the magnetic energy of the radio waves and send it to the car’s radio receiver, which in turn isolates and amplifies the radio waves you want to listen to. The antenna works on a simple principle. The passage of the radio waves over the antenna’s mast produces minute electrical charges. Depending on the length and other details of the antenna design, particular radio wavelengths are captured more easily than others. The design of a car’s radio antenna takes into account the differing frequencies of the AM and FM bands to provide good reception with either. Sending the Signal to the Receiver It’s necessary, of course, for the electrical impulses generated by the antenna to get to your car radio with as little loss of signal as possible. Car antennas achieve this through the use a transmission line. The transmission line consists of a
